Where to get fresh fish/seafood shipped home

[cbowler]

Hello - My wonderful parents are watching our 2 little kids for 2 weeks while we go to Alaska and I'd like to send them some fresh fish or seafood if possible. So I am looking for suggestions on specific stores/places to get some fresh fish or other seafood shipped home. I hope to have some places in mind as to not waste valuable port time looking for places.

 

The towns we are visiting are: Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Whittier, Seward, Anchorage, Denali. Any and all suggestions are much appreciated! We leave on Friday!!! Yeah!

 

Thanks

[Pssunshinegal]

Sort of depends on what type fish and when you are going to be there. There is a great fish place right at the dock next to Holiday Inn Express in Seward. The silvers were in when we were there, so we picked out our fresh fish, but didn't ship took it with us as we were going to friends in Denali for a week. The last couple of years the scallops have been unbelievably good and large in AK. So we took a couple of pounds of them as well. Prices to ship to the lower 48 are expensive and if you were going to a port city closer to departure, I would tell you to ship a suitcase home and take the fish as your suitcase on the plane. You could do that from Anchorage because you can buy fresh Alaskan halibut, scallops, and salmon if it is running at Fred Meyers and they will pack in a cooler and box so that you are ready to go. Shipping 50 pounds of fish can cost upwards of $300, but taking a suitcase to Fed-Ex can cost less than $50. Also you may check to see if you can take an extra suitcase for $25 or $50 and not ship the fish home.

 

Janice

 

Edited to add: I can't tell from your post if you are sailing first and then going to Denali, or if you are doing it in reverse. You didn't list Fairbanks, but if you are going in the direction of the cities you listed and flying home from Fairbanks, then you can also go into the Fred Meyers there and get fresh fish packed ready to fly.

[cbowler]

Thanks for the info. We are sailing Vancouver-Whittier first, then going to Seward and Denali in that order. I didn't know about the Fred Meyer thing so that's good to know. No issues with the fish going on the plane? As for the type of fish/seafood - I'm open. Maybe Halibut, maybe Salmon, really any will do.

[Pssunshinegal]

Thanks for the info. We are sailing Vancouver-Whittier first, then going to Seward and Denali in that order. I didn't know about the Fred Meyer thing so that's good to know. No issues with the fish going on the plane? As for the type of fish/seafood - I'm open. Maybe Halibut, maybe Salmon, really any will do.

 

There is no problem with the fish going on the plane at all. Fred Meyers package fish every single day to send out. Now what I can't tell you is whether it is cheaper at Fred Meyer or at a fish processor on the dock. I haven't compared them in the same week. We usually fish and have our fish processed to mail home or take with us. I have run out of fish and had to go to Fred Meyers in Fairbanks before I got on the plane.

 

Janice

[greatam]

Thanks for the info. We are sailing Vancouver-Whittier first, then going to Seward and Denali in that order. I didn't know about the Fred Meyer thing so that's good to know. No issues with the fish going on the plane? As for the type of fish/seafood - I'm open. Maybe Halibut, maybe Salmon, really any will do.

 

Pay for the extra suitcase and take your fish home on the plane. So long as it is securely packed and gell iced, it will be fine.

 

DH is fishing in Alaska right now. ALL fish will be taken home on the plane. MUCH cheaper to pay the $25.00 for extra luggage than to ship a suitcase home or ship the fish home. We are in the international shipping business.

[diverearl]

We have both - shipped our catch home because we went to Homer fishing first then went on a cruise in 2007 (about $300.00 per 50 lb box Fed Ex - 2 boxes OUCH - from Homer Alaska to Houston Tx. - here is a web sight to the place we use http://welovefish.com/seafood-processing.htm) and we have brought it back home on the plane (this year on Continental it will cost - 1st 50lb box $15.00 - 2nd box is $25.00 and the 3rd box will cost $100.00). By far bringing it home on the plane is the cheapest and in my opinion the best way. We ship our cruise clothes back by USPS at about $1.00 or a little more a pound.

 

Getting the fish is a different story. At the fish processor where we take our catch each day to have it cut up vacuum packed and frozen it cost us about a buck a pound processing on our fish. To walk in off the street to buy Halibut or King Salmon you can expect to pay at least $15.00 and up to $20.00 per pound for the prime cuts. You have me curious about Fred Meyer's, I've been to Fred's before but not for seafood, I will be able to tell you more about it in late July after we get home.

 

See why we are smiling so big over this average Halibut, it weighed 72 lbs minus 40 percent waist you end up with 40lbs of filets at $15.00 a pound the fish is worth about $600.00. Then add the rest of the days catch / taking in all the beautiful scenery seeing a group of Humpbacks while fishing / getting to watch a whale breach on the way back to the dock and we were feeling pretty good

 

If you have time you might try to book a fishing trip for a day in one of the ports you will be stopping at (especially Seward) I'm booked on an overnight trip in July at $250.00 in Homer, you get a 2 day limit of Halibut - 2 fish per day any size - so you end the 24 hour trip with 4 fish. The rest of the week we will be fishing with a friend that lives in Tx but summers in Homer.

 

Wanting a King Crab dinner (fresh / frozen they are not in season during the summer months) will make you feel good about eating fish though because it starts at $20.00 a pound - being about 50% shell.

[greatam]

If you have time you might try to book a fishing trip for a day in one of the ports you will be stopping at (especially Seward) I'm booked on an overnight trip in July at $250.00 in Homer, you get a 2 day limit of Halibut - 2 fish per day any size - so you end the 24 hour trip with 4 fish. The rest of the week we will be fishing with a friend that lives in Tx but summers in Homer.

 

Great pictures from Homer. You will LOVE the double overnight trip. I always recommend it on this board.

 

I HATE to fish. Fishing/hunting is DH's passion. But I sure like that overnight trip. Between us, enough halibut to last the year. And yes, it comes home on the plane with us.

IMHO, Jackpot is the best charter for a day trip-best crew and a fantastic Captain.

 

Have you seen the picture in Coal Point's office-the one with the moose sticking its head through the kitchen window??? They do a heck of a job processing fish. I don't think in the 8 years we have been going to Homer we have ever had a bad processing job.

 

Good luck with your fishing.

 

PS-although it is really neat to get the BIG halibut (and of course enter the Homer Fishing Derby for BIGGEST), the chicken halibut (25-40 pounds) are the best eating. At least what the old timers swear by. Five years ago, watched a guy from Germany who has summered in Homer for 25 years throw back every halibut over 60 pounds. And the kids on the crew were telling him-too big, too big, too big. DH asked the Captain and he was told-"the big ones go to the lower 48-they don't know the difference. They think all halibut is the same". Now DH says we can't keep any fish over 50 pounds. So much for telling BIG fish stories.

[cbowler]

Ok, thanks everyone. We definitely won't be doing a fishing trip/charter. Just no time for it this trip. I had planned to just walk in somewhere and get the fish shipped, but it could be quite pricey it sounds. I wasn't planning to buy a lot of it, maybe a pound or two. Just some for them to have a nice dinner or two. And maybe that quantity isn't really even an option.

 

So how IS the fish from Fred Meyers? Is it really that fresh and locally caught?

[Pssunshinegal]

Ok, thanks everyone. We definitely won't be doing a fishing trip/charter. Just no time for it this trip. I had planned to just walk in somewhere and get the fish shipped, but it could be quite pricey it sounds. I wasn't planning to buy a lot of it, maybe a pound or two. Just some for them to have a nice dinner or two. And maybe that quantity isn't really even an option.

 

So how IS the fish from Fred Meyers? Is it really that fresh and locally caught?

 

Can you tell that some of us are diehard fishermen/women who can't get enough fresh AK fish. Fred Meyers fish will be locally caught or MARKED otherwise. I am not sure you can get farm fish in AK, but if you can, it has to be marked farm. You folks will still find it better than they can purchase in the lower 48. If you/they like salmon and if you are there while you can buy Copper River Red, that is what I like to bring home. In the old days we would bring two insulated coolers as our carry-ons and try to bring 60-70 pounds EACH on the plane. Nothing like fresh AK fish. My famil prefers halibut, but I like the scallops and salmon.

 

Janice

[figgy3]

WE bought 4 lbs of salmon (fresh frozen) to be shipped home (2 day shipping), for $63. total plus shipping which was about $12 if my memory serves me right. This was at TAku Seafood, right at the docks in Juneau - excellent quality as well. They would not ship any less than 4 lbs.

[diverearl]

Talk about the big one that didn't get away, this little 6 year old girl is showing a lot of us hard core fishermen and fisherwomen how to do it. She is now leading the June - Homer Derby in the ladies division.